10.11.11

Travel Expop Series #1: France

To inaugurate their new "Travel Expop" series of nation-specific releases, Hands in the Dark Records appropriately chose vinyl for their format and France for their focus, highlighting four bands pioneering the darker fringes of unconceited collage and noise pop. Holy Strays begins the split on a relatively accessible note with two tracks of elaborate, textured electronic pop that shift comfortably into more ambient contributions from Cankun and Je Suis le Petit Chevalier. In stark contrast to Holy Strays' introduction, Voodoo Mount Sister holds down the final ten minutes of the b-side with what feels like almost pure atmosphere, at times spooky and at others evoking an ultra-minimalist sort of folk.